Now that I’ve told you about my week in Atlanta with Alayna drinking cocktails, hunting for popsicles, and meeting Laura, and my two wonderful days in New York with Heidi, I can finally review the chocolate bars that these kind-so-kind ladies gave to me.

As if their company wasn’t enough; as if spending days talking, laughing, cooking and/or eating with Heidi and Alayna wasn’t a gift in and of itself. I still can’t believe they both gave me chocolate presents too.

I don’t know how I became so lucky in my friendships.

Lake Champlain Granola Five Star Chocolate Bar

When I arrived at Alayna and Jeff’s place in Atlanta, they’d made up a bed in their pre-baby (now avec-baby, squee!) nursery for me. And there, on my pillow, was this Lake Champlain Granola Five Star Chocolate Bar. It was deceptively heavy for such a wee lil nugget of a gourmet candy bar, and I must admit I wasn’t quite sure what to expect when I read “almonds, oats, cranberries, and dark chocolate” on the wrapper.

Do you know what I should have expected? Unmitigated deliciousness, that’s what.

Lake Champlain’s Granola Five Star Chocolate Bar was smooth-crunchy, rich-light, dark-milky, nutty-fruity, and utterly swoon-worthy. I remain a little amazed that Lake Champlain was able to make so many strong and contrasting flavours and textures come together so cohesively, but come together cohesively this treat did. I even caught notes of maple syrup alongside the roasted almonds, sweet-tangy cranberries, and crispy oat clusters.

Alayna, thank you for making me feel so welcome, from the very beginning to the end of my stay. I wish I could repay you with babysitting… but maybe next visit, yeah?

Wild Ophelia Beef Jerky Milk Chocolate Bar

Heidi was so sneaky about buying me this chocolate. She bought it right under my nose (literally; I was even with her at the cashier), and I never once imagined she was getting it for me. You see, we were exploring the Union Square Whole Foods one afternoon when she started asking me which Wild Ophelia chocolate she should buy for her Ben. After at least five minutes of me dithering over whether the Peanut Butter and Banana, Smokehouse BBQ Potato Chips, or Beef Jerky Bar sounded most bizarre and (therefore) intriguing, I pointed to the last.

A little while later, as we were saying good-night till it be morrow, Heidi pressed the chocolate into my hand. She said it was a thank you gift for changing my travel plans to include a stop in New York to see her. I was speechless. (The lovable trickster!)

Wild Ophelia is the “sister” chocolate line to Vosges, which I’ve reviewed here a-plenty. The Beef Jerky Bar is comprised of 41% cacao and beef jerky made from Piedmontese and Angus Cattle, and it put me in mind of Vosges Mo’s Bacon Bar. The aroma was predominately sweet with just a little hint of smokiness and spice, but nothing screamed “meat!” to me.

The first bite showed a bit of grain and, yes, something chewily meaty to the texture, but the taste was initially all sweet vanilla toffee. There was a hint of salt, and something a little savoury, almost like a spicy onion seasoning, but this was very faint.

The ganola bar looks my sort of thing but beef jerky just sounds so wrong in chocolate – glad you enjoyed both – am sure them being gifts from lovely ladies made them all the more enjoyable – but I am just a little sad you didn’t choose the smokehouse bbq potato chips chocolate!

Excellent chocolate! Sampling chocolate – what a tough gig. I went to a dinner party on Saturday night and took chocolates from Coco Chocolate. They locked them in a cupboard and didn’t open them. I was so disappointed! I was really looking forward to some dark chocolate studded with freeze-dried raspberries xx

Bahahahaha! Oh my gosh; that made me laugh. Isn’t it dinner party etiquette that you always put out/open what guests bring? I guess they knew that the Coco Chocolate would be just too good, and they wanted it all to themselves 😉

i agree that both of these are tasty! i found the granola one a bit uninteresting, but that’s just how i feel about most of lcc’s stuff, i guess. i do love how thick and chunky their 5 star bars are for surrrrre.

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About

Hannah. Writer, editor, firm believer in socks, gin, laughter, buttered toast, cheesecake, and semicolons. Currently back in Canberra after two years living in Canada; heart tingling to see what happens next.